


Love, Fangs

by southsidewrites



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Blind Date, Cute, F/M, First Date, Fluff, Love, One Shot, Reader-Insert, Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, southside serpents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-09 22:37:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17413844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: Ever since Toni joined the River Vixens, she’s been on your case about how nonexistent your love life is. One day, she decides to set you up on a blind date.  Despite your initial hesitance, you realize that it just might be a good idea after all.





	Love, Fangs

**Author's Note:**

> No particular warnings for this fic! Features some mild inspiration from the movie Love, Simon, hence the title.

“C’mon, Toni, that’s ridiculous.”  You looked up at her from where you were sitting on the locker room bench tying your shoes. “I will _not_ go on a blind date.  No way.” Shaking your head, you got up and started to pick up the discarded pieces of your River Vixen uniform to shove them back in your locker.

She crossed her arms, giving you an annoyed look. “And why the hell not?  Cheryl told me you’ve been single since you dated Moose back in Middle School.”

You dropped your uniform, not quite making it to the locker. “Wait, Cheryl told you that I dated Moose?”

“She did.” Her face lit up with a mischievous grin. “Why?  Do you not like to talk about that?”

“I don’t, actually.” You rolled your eyes, turning back to your locker to pick up the uniform.  Of all the changes that had come with the school-merger, Toni was your favorite.  She was a welcome addition to the River Vixens, someone who didn’t seem to ooze drama from every pore of their being.

She laughed. “I just can’t see it—you and Moose?  He’s just such a—well, he’s kind of the classic big, dumb jock.”

“Middle School,” you said firmly, grabbing your phone before shutting your locker. “We were in Middle School, Toni.  Anyway, he’s actually really sweet when you get to know him.”

“Sure, sure, whatever you say.” She shut her locker, and the two of you started walking out of the locker room, backpacks in hand. “Either way, it’s now junior year, and you haven’t had a real boyfriend since Middle School.  It’s about time you get back on the man-horse, unless…” she drawled, giving you a searching look and them smirking with amusement.

You rolled your eyes. “Nope, T., I’m about as straight as it gets.”

“Okay, either way, I’d set you up, but it is helpful to know your preferred gender.” Her smile widened. “So, are you absolutely certain that you won’t consider a blind date?”

“This would be with one of your friends?  Someone I don’t know _at all_?”

“That is what makes it a _blind_ date,” she confirmed. “And you say that like I’d be setting you up with a creep or something—I’d pick a great guy.  In fact, there’s one guy in particular that I _know_ would be perfect for you.”

You gave her a skeptical look. “And why’s that?”

“I can’t tell you,” she argued, trying to bite back a smile. “If I told you, you’d spend all week trying to figure out who it is before he even has a chance to win you over.”

“I resent that, you know.” You reached your car, so you unlocked it and threw your backpack in the passenger seat.  Crossing your arms, you leaned against the hood to face her. “So, if I say yes to this, will you stop commenting on my love life or lack thereof?”

“Hmm.” She pursed her lips together, giving you a thoughtful look. “Well, you see, the thing is, if it doesn’t work, I’m going to have to keep trying, so no.  On the other hand, if it does work, then I’m going to be thrilled two people I like so much are together.  So, no, I can’t make that promise.”

You rolled your eyes, running your hand through your hair. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Really?” she asked, her face lighting up.

“Really.”

“Oh my gosh, yes!” She pulled you into a hug, nearly bouncing up and down with excitement. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow, and get you both the details so you can meet and start dating and fall in love.”

“Woah there, short stuff,” you laughed, prying her off of you. “Let’s start with a date, okay?”

“Deal.”

* * *

 

You popped a Cheeto in your mouth, unable to pull your eyes away from the Serpent’s table as you chewed.  Once again, you were lost in your thoughts, trying to piece together Toni’s cryptic clues as to who your blind date was.

“Earth to Y/N,” Cheryl teased, sitting down across from you. “Whatcha looking at?”

“You know darn well what I’m looking at, Blossom,” you replied, scooting over so that you could keep looking around her. “It’s been four days since Toni set up this date, and the hints she’s been dropping are vague as hell.”

“What has she told you?” she asked, pulling her lunch out of her bag.

“Well, he’s taller than me, dark hair, has a great smile, and—” You cut off, trying to remember the last hint she’d given. “Oh yeah, and he’s a Serpent.”

Her eyebrows rose, and she paused with a baby carrot halfway to her mouth. “Does that bother you?”

You shrugged. “No, not really.  I mean, if he turns out to be an absolute creep or druggie, then it’ll bother me, but that’s just as likely to happen with any random member of the football team as it is to happen with any random Serpent.”

“Ooh,” she chuckled, cringing. “You’re absolutely not wrong.”

You returned your gaze to the table on the other end of the cafeteria, your eyes flicking from guy to guy as you tried to determine who it might be.  Even if they’d been at your school for a few weeks now, you barely knew any Serpents besides Toni, so you had no choice but to start with her best friends. 

First, there was the taller one, Sweet Pea, if you remembered correctly.  Now, he was someone you wouldn’t mind getting to know better, and he _did_ meet all the clues.  Dark, messy hair, a smirk that made any straight girl melt, and that neck tattoo left no doubts about his status as a Serpent.

Next to him, though, there was a shorter, potentially even more attractive guy.  His name, you didn’t know—all you knew about him was that he was in Drama Club, and everyone was saying that he and Kevin were a thing.  While he did _technically_ meet all the requirements, you didn’t think Toni would set you up with a gay guy, no matter how attractive you thought he was.

Of course, there was always the possibility that she was closer to more Serpents than you knew.  While those two may have been her best friends, there was close to a dozen others that it could be, and it was impossible to narrow it down with the clues you’d been given.

Before you could contemplate it for long, though, Toni joined you, positioning herself squarely between you and the Serpents. “I see what you’re doing, girl, and it’s not going to work.”

“Well yeah,” you scoffed. “I mean, your description covers like 75% of the male Serpents.”

She smirked, snagging a Cheeto from your bag and popping it in her mouth. “I know.”

You groaned, snatching your Cheetos out of her reach. “You’re killing me, Topaz.  Does he know who I am?”

“Nah, I gave him equally vague clues.”

“Such as?”

She counted them off on her fingers, laughing slightly to herself. “You’re pretty, shorter than him, have beautiful eyes, and are a River Vixen.”

“Not fair!” you exclaimed indignantly. “There are so many less River Vixens than Serpents.”

“Not really,” she argued. “Especially when you take into account how many of the Serpents I _absolutely_ would not hook you up with.”

You rolled your eyes. “But Toni, I know literally nothing about the Serpents, so that doesn’t help me narrow it down at all.”

“Exactly the point.” She grinned. “So, do you want to know where your date’s going to be?  I picked it myself, and I happen to think it’s absolutely perfect.”

Giving her a hard look, you nodded. “It better not be something too crazy, Toni.”

“It’s not.” She waved her hand as if waving away your concerns. “He’s like the world’s biggest closet-romantic, so he’d hate me if I came up with too perfect of a date.  Anyways, I figured something that lets you guys talk and get to know each other.”

“So where are they going?” Cheryl asked.  At this point, she was almost as eager as you to find out.

“Pop’s,” she replied. “I know it’s cliché, but it’s a classic—everyone loves Pop’s.”

“Fair enough.” You couldn’t hold back your smile—even though you had fought back against this date, you couldn’t help but be excited now that it was actually happening.  Toni was right.  It had been too long since you’d been on a good date.

“So, are you excited?” Cheryl asked, her red lips curving into an excited smile.

“I am,” you admitted. “A bit nervous, too, but mostly excited.  It’s been ages since I’ve been on a real date.”

“Good.” Toni reached across the table and rested her hand on yours, squeezing it gently. “I can’t wait to hear how it goes.”

* * *

 

After close to an hour of working on the perfect outfit with Cheryl, you were on your way to Pop’s.  Since Toni insisted on the identity of your date remaining an absolute surprise, she sent you a text telling you where to sit.  When you got to Pop’s, the booth in question was empty, so you sat down and ordered a soda for while you waited.

Your heart seemed to beat faster and faster with every passing minute, and you had to force yourself to look down at your phone instead of staring at the door like an absolute creeper.  You were supposed to meet at 7:00, but 7:00 came and went, and before you knew it, it was 7:15. 

Your heart sank.  You had been stood up—you had to have been.  Of course, the one time you actually put yourself out there and try to meet a guy, he doesn’t show.  Or, even worse, he _did_ show, but as soon as he saw that it was you sitting in the booth, he bailed.

 A shadow came over you, and you looked up.  Expecting it to be the waitress, you readied yourself to give up and order a milkshake to cry with.  Instead, it was a guy.  A hot guy.  You blinked a few times, making sure you weren’t dreaming.  It was the other Serpent, Toni’s friend that you were pretty sure was gay.

“Hey, is this seat taken?”

“Doesn’t look like it,” you answered morosely, amazing yourself by finding words to form a coherent response. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

“Fangs,” he replied, and you gave him a skeptical look. “Yeah, I know.” He grinned, sitting down across from you. “I promise it’s a funny story.”

“Oh really?” You started twirling your straw absentmindedly around your glass. “Any chance I can hear it?”

“Nah, I save that for people who have known me at least a few minutes.” He smiled, and you couldn’t keep your heart from thudding in your chest.  He had a really, _really_ nice smile. “So, what’s got you sitting in the back corner of Pop’s looking grumpy?”

You smiled bitterly. “Oh, you know, a blind date that never showed.”  You exhaled sharply, trying to put on a smile as you looked back up at him. “How about you?  What’s got you asking random grumpy girls if you can sit with them?”

“Well, um—” He grabbed the back of his neck, and he suddenly looked really nervous. “You see, I—the thing is—I’m kind of the blind date”

Not sure if you misheard him, your eyes narrowed. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, um—shit, this sounds so stupid, but—well, when Toni told me she wanted to set me up with someone, I was excited and all, but then I got here, and—” He cut off. “I panicked a little—it’s been a while since I’ve been on a real date and all.  So, I sat at the bar and watched, waiting to see who would come.”

Your eyebrows rose, and you crossed your arms over your chest, sliding as far back in your seat as you could. “And?”

“And well, when it was you, I only panicked more since you’re so freaking gorgeous and all, and I didn’t know what to do.  Obviously, I worked up the courage to come over here, but then you didn’t think it was me, and I was too nervous to correct you, so I kind of went with it, and—”

“Woah, woah, woah.” You held up your hand, cutting him off. “Just to clarify, you’re not gay?”

He blinked, momentarily puzzled. “I, um, no.  I’m bi, actually, and if that’s a problem, I can—”

“No, no, no, no, no,” you replied quickly, shaking your head. “No, not at all.  Seriously, not at all.  I just—well, when someone told me you were with Kevin, I guess I just assumed, and—” You sighed. “And fuck, now I look like a complete ass because not only did I completely forget that being bi was a thing, I assumed that some random-ass rumor was true.”

He smiled softly, reaching across the table to cautiously cover your hand with his. “Hey, it’s fine.  I pretended I wasn’t your date, so…” He grinned. “What do you say?  Can we call it even?”

Laughing, you turned your hand over to lace your fingers with his. “Absolutely.”

His smile faded slightly, and you felt his grip on yours tighten. “Are you disappointed?”

“What?  No, not at all.” Your eyebrows furrowed. “Why would you even ask that?”

“God, this is going to sound so dumb, but, um, I’ve kind of been trying to figure out who you were, and I actually secretly hoped it was you.”

His brown eyes were warm, concerned, and it took all the self-control you had not to leap across the table and hug him right there.  Meanwhile, you bit back a smile, and you could feel your cheeks blushing hotly. “Really?”

“Really.” His smile widened slightly as he saw your reaction. “But I noticed that you looked at Sweet Pea kind of a lot, so I thought that—”

“Oh my gosh, no, not at all,” you repeated, shaking your head frantically. “Don’t even think that for a second.  I just kind of assumed it was him seeing as your Toni’s best friends, and my dumb ass thought you were gay and all.”

He laughed again, a contagious, amazing laugh that made you smile so hard your cheeks started to hurt. “So, you’re not disappointed?”

“Absolutely not, Fangs.” You squeezed his hand gently. “And seeing as I’ve already made a fool out of myself tonight, I can totally admit that I definitely decided you were the hotter one.”

“Oh wow,” he laughed, his cheeks gaining a slight pinkish tint that made your heart race. “I may need to keep you around for that alone—it’s good for him to be taken down a notch every now and then.”

“Well, I’d be happy to.” You released his hand, resting your arms on the table and you leaned toward him. “So, I think we should get this date started for real now, and I’d like for you to start by telling me how on Earth you got the nickname Fangs.”

He smirked. “I suppose I can do that.”

* * *

 

“Toni, this is stupid,” Sweet Pea complained as his much-shorter friend dragged him toward the diner. “Why did I need to come with for this?”

 _“Because_ ,” she insisted. “I would look creepy if I just sat there alone watching their date.  Anyways, don’t you care if your best friend may be meeting the love of his life?”

“That’s so dramatic, Topaz,” Sweet Pea said, giving her a stern look. “Have you even considered the possibility that this date _might_ not go well?”

“I haven’t, actually, since I know they’re perfect for each other.” She didn’t take her eyes off the diner, scanning the windows for her friends.  “It looks like it doesn’t even matter,” she said, a note of despair in her voice. “Look, they’re not even in there.”

Sweet Pea came to a stop, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Sure aren’t,” he answered, his lips curving into a smirk as he looked away from the diner.  Next to him, Toni was slumping sadly. “Check out the parking lot, Toni.”

She looked up, and then her jaw dropped.  Her eyes were drawn right away to Fangs’ truck—it was parked right under a streetlamp.  Leaning up against it was you and Fangs, your entire bodies pressed together in what looked like a heated makeout session.

Sweet Pea started laughing. “That a boy, Fangs.”

Toni could barely contain her grin. “It worked!”

Shaking his head, Sweet Pea made a face. “Damn, if they keep it up like that, they’re going to need to get a room.”

“I know right?” Toni’s smile was almost comically large. “They’re going to make such a great couple.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you liked this, be sure to check out my other works!


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